Viewed from a true purist (rather than historical) perspective, the act of having to shift at all should be regarded as unnecessary and intrusive. Only because of the relative inflexibility of the internal combustion engine is this considered normal practice. When electric race cars become feasible we may see shifting go away completely — and racing will be in most ways better for the loss.

All the same, when we’re talking about racing, the simplest solution will be the best one. For now that means having gears and rowing them yourself. Spec Miata and its successors won’t see this kind of electronic intervention for a while.

Meantime, and when I’m not at the track, I still derive considerable pleasure from doing things like shifting myself. It is still a learned skill which requires coordination, and no amount of electronic refinement will replace skill on the whole. Unlike other aspects of race driving, it has the additional advantage that I can practice every day without fear of being arrested.

Thanks for weighing in!

P.S. I’m vacationing in your part of the world at the moment (Sacramento)

After spending time in a GT-R on the road and on the track I am confident that Nissan can deliver throttle blips when needed.